Help bring a practical solution to the Columbia River Crossing Bridge project.

See the map of the November 5, 2013 advisory votes election results here.

Freeholders

What are freeholders and what do they do?
Freeholders will make up a 15 person committee to do one thing: propose a new customized form of government for Clark County. Electing freeholders does nothing more than select the 15 citizens who will make up the committee. They will work together for one year and put a “home rule charter” on the November 2014 ballot for all Clark County voters to accept or reject. Then they go home. Their work is done. That charter will define the rules and roles of every elected office in Clark County government.

If the voters in 2014 reject that charter, then nothing will change and Clark County government will continue the same way that it has for the last 124 years as defined by our state constitution. If approved, the new customized government will take effect and a new election will fill any newly defined elected positions.

Why customize our government?
Any time we consider a huge change such as changing the way that we govern ourselves, we should ask ourselves: What problem we are trying to solve? Because our present form of government works so well, Clark County citizens have rejected home-rule charters multiple times. It is efficient, effective, low cost, manageable, flexible and citizen-friendly.

What difference does it make who we elect as freeholders?Voting for those who want to make major changes will likely result in the citizens rejecting the charter that will appear on our 2014 ballot. The minimum changes would be to add the ability for citizens to place initiatives and referendums on the ballot in future elections.
Initiatives create new policies if passed. Referendums repeal existing policies is passed.

A Home rule county does not have any more power or jurisdiction than we do now. Those powers remain limited and fixed by our state constitution. Six of the 39 counties in Washington are charter counties. The six county advisory votes on this ballot already demonstrate our ability to place issues on the ballot to inform our county commissioners of the will of the people.

One of the most dangerous charters that could be proposed is one that leaves the door wide open to amendments by a simple majority vote in future elections. Any proposed charter should require a 2/3 majority vote by the people in a General Election in order to amend it. Otherwise, we open Pandora’s Box to make huge changes and for special interest groups to vote for special taxes and benefits for themselves. The charter that gets proposed will all depend on the freeholders that we elect.

Advisory Vote #1 – CRC Light Rail: – Yes
Voting Yes says that the voters should be asked for permission in a county-wide vote before spending millions on any Light Rail project in Clark County. Voting No means the politicians have blanket permission to keep spending millions on projects like the CRC Light Rail Tolling project without voter approval.

If you object to C-Tran signing the secret contract with TriMet to fund Light Rail in violation of their promise and in violation of our 2012 Proposition One election that said No to Light Rail, then vote Yes on this advisory vote.

Advisory Vote #2 – C-Tran Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Yes
This ballot measure is almost identical to advisory vote #1 above, except this one covers the son of light rail, Bus Rapid Transit. Voting Yes says that the voters should be asked for permission in a county-wide vote before spending million on any Bus Rapid Transit project in Clark County. Voting No means the politicians have blanket permission to keep spending millions on Bus Rapid Transit projects without voter approval.

Like advisory vote #1, if you object to C-Tran signing the secret contract with TriMet to fund Light Rail in violation of their promise and in violation of our 2012 Proposition One election that said No to Light Rail, then vote Yes on this advisory vote.

Advisory Vote #3 – Support a new toll-free East County Bridge – Yes
Voting Yes on this ballot measure says that the people in our community support the very specific proposal published on page 112 of the voters’ pamphlet. Voting Yes does not authorize any money to be spent. The proposal is not merely an idea. It is a project proposal designed by Kevin Peterson, an expert and certified global transportation architect who specializes in these kinds of projects.

That proposal includes specifications and line-item cost estimates. The total cost must truly be less than $900 million and the project must remain toll-free. In short, the cost and finance plan must conform to the proposal in order for it to be supported. Otherwise it would do more harm than good by triggering tolls on our two existing bridges across the Columbia River. The renderings and cost estimates are provided at EastCountyBridge.com. Citizens can discuss this project on the East County Bridge Facebook page here. Community participation can refine it to make it better.

Advisory Vote #4 – the CRC Light Rail Tolling project – misrepresented as an I-5 Bridge replacement project – No
Voting No says that the people reject the CRC Light Rail Tolling project that is misrepresented as an I-5 Replacement project. It’s the same old project with a counterfeit cover to fool people into voting for the CRC boondoggle. It’s simply an edited counterfeit of an earlier draft of the East County Bridge proposal with the light rail prohibition deleted and text from the CRC added. It’s the same old multi-billion dollar Light Rail project with Oregon controlled tolls misrepresented as a toll-free project at a fraction of the real cost.

The CRC proponents that put this on the ballot broke faith with the citizens by wasting $170 million and refused to halt even after the people voted to reject it last year. They are the same ones that voted to sign a contract with Portland TriMet to make Clark County citizens TriMet’s new tax base without a vote of the people. You can watch the CRC proponents sell out Clark County citizens to Portland TriMet here. Do not fall for their deception. Vote No.

Advisory Vote #5 – West County Bridge – You decide
I have removed my comments in opposition to this ballot measure out of respect for a friend, Sharon Nasset, who has worked hard to promote a possible version of a West County Bridge called the ThirdBridgeNow project near the railroad bridge one mile west of the I-5.

City Council and Mayor Candidates

To vote for new leadership that will respect the vote of the people that already said No to Light Rail in our last General Election, to elect leaders who will honor the promise that a vote of the people would be provided to approve any means to fund Light Rail operation and maintenance, to oppose the CRC Light Rail Tolling project, Oregon controlled tolls, and to vote against Portland TriMet making Clark County citizens their new tax base for Light Rail, see the following list:

For Camas City Council:
Vote for Vanessa Amundson instead of Melissa Smith

For Ridgefield City Council:
Write in Tim Wilson instead of voting for Ron Onslow

For Washougal City Council:
Vote for Dave Shoemaker instead of Rodney P. Morris

This site is maintained by David Madore, Clark County Commissioner. It is being updated as time permits and as I receive requests for additional information.

The Straight Scoop

The Straight Scoop

Why the censorship?

Why would a city council be so unwilling to allow citizens to voice dissent? Why not welcome citizens to freely discuss the most expensive project in the history of Southern Washington?

What is Bait-and-Switch?

In government, Bait-and-Switch is a tactic that lures taxpayers with a problem (the Crisis), offers them a solution (the Bait), but sells them an inappropriate, unrelated, or exaggerated project (the Switch).

What is the goal?

The crisis is traffic congestion in Portland Oregon from the I-5 Columbia River Bridge to at least 5 miles south. The bait is a new bridge. But rather than widening the freeways in Portland to relieve that congestion, those Portland bottlenecks will remain. The switch is a massive multi-billion dollar project that extends miles north in Washington that does little to solve Portland traffic congestion. It is so costly that it could easily pay for 10 new I-205 Bridges. The project turns existing Washington freeways into toll roads even if drivers don’t cross the bridge into Oregon. Although voters defeated light rail by a large margin and voters are prevented from having an election to defeat it again, politicians appear determined to force light rail into the heart of Vancouver.

Enriching special interests:

Without neighborly citizen participation, projects like this can get way off track. The priority can switch to enriching the firms that offer study, engineering and construction services even if they are too burdensome for a community to bear. Bait-and-Switch projects can be recognized when incumbents appear to rule as dictators over their subjects as they attempt to slip their project through but become too obvious in their attempts to avoid scrutiny.

What are the telltale signs of a Bait-and-Switch project?

In government, Bait-and-Switch projects are often not uncovered until irreversible damage has been done and taxpayers have suffered a massive loss. Symptoms include:

Unusual measures to silence dissent

Suppression of factual information

Aversion to open debate

Double standards for supporters and dissenters

Citizen communications rules increasingly restrictive

Attacking the messengers rather than their message

Officials elected under false pretences

Blatant broken promises, violated trusts

Conflicts of interest

Campaigns funded by firms that will profit from the project

Excessive sums paid to proponents for unproductive studies

Passing the buck to avoid responsibility

Maximizing the size and scope of the project

Understating the ultimate cost

Overstating the promised benefits

Controlled by political appointees rather than appropriate agencies

An obvious disconnect between the Bait and the Switch

Officials adamantly clinging to obviously illogical positions

Disorder, chaos, confusion, disenfranchised citizens

Lack of detailed financial reports

Incurring excessive debt despite strained resources

Pushing ahead despite strong opposition

Haste, rushing ahead despite poor timing

Well meaning people:

Promoters often enroll well meaning people who promote the Bait-and-Switch project because they genuinely want to fix the original problem. They fail to recognize that the disproportionate project will raise the cost of living beyond their reach. Too late, they discover that the inappropriate project is far worse than the original problem.

Where is Jeanne Harris now?

After the city decided to close fire station #6 and layoff 18 fire fighters due to lack of funds, council member Jeanne Harris has now returned from her all expenses paid $19,000 4 week tour of Europe as an ambassador of our city. This is city business, while the biggest project in our history is not? Should this city council be traveling the world as a role model?

How did we pay for the I-205 Bridge?

Gas taxes paid the total cost of $169.6 million for the I-205 Glenn Jackson Bridge, 90% federal, $4 million from Washington, $11 million from Oregon. That bridge, built 28 years ago shows us how this is supposed to work. The major interstate freeway systems across this nation were paid for with a 4 cent federal gas tax. Toll roads back east were built before gas taxes. Washington now pays 54.4 cents per gallon and 60.4 cents for diesel. Remember how we built the 205 Bridge. That model shows us how to build interstate bridges.

The connection between Light Rail and Tolls:

Elected leaders misrepresent the truth when they tell us that they support light rail but oppose tolls. Federal statute requires a 50% “local match” to pay for light rail. That local match is tolls. You cannot have light rail without tolls. Light rail requires tolls. Elected representatives who “support light rail but oppose tolls” are being dishonest.

Who pays for cost overruns?

Light Rail proponents notoriously understate the ultimate cost. Billions in cost overruns for Light Rail projects are standard procedure. Federal funds are fixed up front and do not cover cost overruns. Local taxpayers will be billed for the difference. For an independent financial analysis, see the pdf document sponsored by Chris Girard, President and CEO of Plaid Pantries, Inc.

What’s the root problem?

Instead of freeways, Portland spends their road taxes on light rail. The results are bilions of dollars in debt, crushing taxes, traffic jams and congestion. If we re-elect the incumbents in Clark County, that’s exactly what we’ll get, plus tolls. This election will decide.

Not city business?

Many businesses along the proposed light rail lines in downtown Vancouver will likely not survive the construction that will close 30 square blocks for up to a year. The city continues to authorize more money for bridge and light rail consultants including $50,000 this past week to try to figure out what to do with the five acres of darkness under the proposed bridge. Three of the council members sit on the C-Tran board and are using that money (over $700,000 so far) to promote light rail instead of bus service, while raising bus fares and increasing the deficit.

Getting on the right track

If either of these boards passes a resolution opposing this tolling project, it will be stopped. State and federal authorities will not fund it. We can then state the terms of a revised plan that cuts the pork, cuts light rail, guarantees no tolls, requires at least 50% federal funding, and requires existing Washington and Oregon state gas taxes to fund the balance.

Where to from here?

We will continue to update this site to help our community to move into action and know what steps to take. We will be forming an informed coalition of citizens and business leaders. Scheduled events will be posted on this site and you will be notified if you have signed up. We encourage you to register to join our cause so together, we can move forward.